CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Here's how caring for aging loved ones has impacted these Columbus-area residents

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer - 3/20/2023

Mar. 17—Gale Morgan has been the primary caregiver of her husband Jimmy since he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2019.

For 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Gale's presence gives Jimmy a sense of security. When she's not there, he grows agitated and paces. She feels guilty.

In the four years of care, Gale has not had a full day to herself.

Last March, her brother, Pete, visited their Opelika home from Birmingham. Pete is an amputee and stays with the Morgans from time to time.

Gale remembers getting up to check on Pete and opening his door. That's the last thing she remembers for eight hours.

Pete told her later that she'd come in and asked why his wheelchair was in his room.

"Because I need it," he'd told her.

"Why do you need a wheelchair?" Gale asked her brother.

"I lost my leg," Pete reminded her.

Her brother told her that she began crying uncontrollably, and she was taken to the emergency room. Her blood pressure was 119 over 112. She was given a CT scan and an IV.

The neurologist told her that she'd experienced transient global amnesia, temporary amnesia typically caused by high stress.

"I never got my memory back," Gale said. "I don't remember any of what they told me."

Gale's amnesia is one example of how being a full-time caregiver can have negative impacts on individuals' physical and mental health. Local physicians and respite care providers hope to help families of aging individuals in the Chattahoochee Valley by helping them get short breaks from caregiving.

Taking a break from 24/7 caregiving can mean the difference between life and death for both the caregiver and the patient, and experts recommend that people caring for loved ones ensure the well-being of their own physical and spiritual health.

"He's my husband," Gale said. "I believe that I am to take care of him as he is to take care of me. But there comes a point that you can no longer do that, because you have not given yourself a chance to be loved and taken care of."

Stories they can't tell anymore

About 50% of those with Alzheimer's never get the diagnosis, said Dr. Jonathan Liss, founder and primary physician of the Columbus Memory Center. And those that receive the diagnosis typically get it relatively late in the disease, he said.

"It starts out with a decline in a person's abilities that can lead to many many difficulties in their family and finances because they don't even know what's going on," Liss said.

In families, there is an issue of the patient's need for independence versus the need for care, he said.

This could present itself in different ways, Liss said, but often a person who has always been in charge of the household may find it difficult being told what to do.

Another challenge with caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease is that they may have anosognosia, he said, which means their brains are unable to know they have a problem.

"So, what families view as a stubborn person not willing to admit their problems is actually a brain problem," Liss said.

Both of these issues can put a burden on caregivers who, on average, spend about 100 hours of work a week caring for their loved ones, he said.

"And often these caregivers are the elderly spouse of the person, right?" Liss said. "This could be an 80-year-old or 85-year-old who's trying to put a hundred hours of care in for the person they love and they're married to over the years."

Linda Kennedy, 82, has been the primary caregiver to her husband John, 90, for the last four years. The couple met while working at Fort Benning, Linda said. They've been married 40 years.

Along with Alzheimer's disease, John has also suffered from aphasia, she said. The disorder affects the ability to communicate orally and the written word.

"He has all of these good military stories," Linda said. "And he can't tell them anymore. He told me some of the exploits that happened when he would fly in and pick people up out of the combat zone."

Despite his declining capabilities, she said, John continues to be a private person. He will go to the bathroom by himself and lock the door, which worries her because she doesn't want him to have an accident. He also likes to look at papers, she said, a reminder of when he would take care of the household's business.

"(Caregivers) should talk (to their loved ones) and persuade," Linda said. "Don't lose your temper because they don't react well to something like that."

Respite for the caregiver

In 1999, a woman named Alexis Williams worked with Dr. Hal Brady, a minister at St. Luke United Methodist Church, to develop a respite care ministry.

Respite care provides a service that allows caregivers to take a break and gives their loved ones a chance to socialize with others.

The quality of life for respite care participants is enhanced by socialization activities, said Kathryn Fussell, current director of St. Luke's Respite Care Ministries. But the real benefit is the break it gives to caregivers, she said.

They can get their hair done, go shopping, go to the doctor or do whatever it is they need to do without worrying about their loved ones for a few hours.

"It reduces their stress for that period of time," Fussell said. "Being a full-time caregiver day and night is very selfless. And it's very demanding and can be very stressful."

St. Luke's respite care ministry originally met twice a week in a classroom on St. Luke's campus. Today, the ministry invites participants to come from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays.

The best candidates for the ministry are people who have mild to moderate cases of dementia, are able to go to the restroom on their own and be able to feed themselves. This is because socialization and activities are a large part of the program for the participants, Fussell said.

"It can slow the progression of the illness," she said. "And those moments are important so (caregivers') loved ones can have joy in those moments."

Some programs, such as St. Luke, provides respite for a few hours in a day. However, other providers, like Oaks at Grove Park, can take over caregiving for more advanced cases and longer periods of time.

Oaks at Grove Park provides respite care along with assisted living and memory care. Caregivers can bring their loved ones in for respite for as long as they need, said Jenna Abbot, executive director of Oaks at Grove Park. This could be for a day or two, she said, or for a week if the family goes on vacation.

"It really gives loved ones that peace of mind of 'I don't have to bear this burden all by myself," Abbot said. "There are people here to help me when they need it."

The stress relief from the breaks provided by respite care can reinvigorate the body and take down the stress level, Liss said. Caregivers are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and neglect of their personal healthcare issues, according to a guide on the Columbus Memory Center's website.

Programs like the one at St. Luke saves lives, Liss said, because caregivers often die before their spouse.

"If a caregiver dies," he said. "Imagine what happens to the spouse."

Respite care extends the life and health for caregivers, Liss said, which means extending the life and health for the patient.

Gale's health declined as a result of the stress brought on from caregiving, she said.

Before his diagnosis, Jimmy enjoyed golfing with his friends. One of his old friends, Mike, began taking him to the driving range providing happiness for Jimmy and a small respite for Gale.

In the last six months, she's been able to get about two to four hour breaks at most once or twice a week. However, some of her breaks were reduced after Mike was injured and couldn't take Jimmy golfing anymore.

Gale has experienced heart arrhythmia and prescribed four different medications since November.

"I feel like I'm on guard," she said. "I'm on the job. I'm on alert all the time. I'm trying to watch out for someone else."

'It's about you, what you can stand'

Because of her health, Gale decided to place Jimmy in a memory care center in Auburn about five minutes away from their home. Liss, who is Jimmy's physician, supported her decision

"It's not about him," Liss told her. "It's about you, what you can stand, what you can handle and what you can do."

The message Liss gives his patients and their caregivers is that they take time for their personal and spiritual well-being, he said.

"I essentially write them a prescription, even though they're not my patient, that says they must take two half-days off per week for just enjoyable things," Liss said.

Linda also decided to admit John into a memory care center in Columbus because of her own declining health. She will be joining him in another part of the facility, but the two will no longer be living together. A fact that has been difficult for her despite knowing that it's the best option for the two of them.

"We love one another very much," Linda said. "He gives me kisses when I do something for him. But it's kind of sad because the things he used to do, he can't do anymore."

Although John has trouble communicating with Linda now, she remembers the man he was before his memory began failing.

John was a pilot and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the army. The couple were very compatible in their years together, Linda said.

They lived in the woods, and the couple would drive a golf cart around. Linda treasures the memory of one of these trips when their son, Jay, fell off golf cart causing the entire family to laugh uncontrollably.

"Our life together was very good," Linda said. "We did things together. I enjoyed the fact that he likes to be outside, and I would go with him."

Both John and Jimmy are expected to be admitted into their respective care centers by the end of the month.

The Alzheimer's Association's Helpline for anyone needing help, support or resources is available 24/7 at 1-800-272-3900.

This story was originally published March 16, 2023, 5:00 AM.

___

(c)2023 the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.)

Visit the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.) at www.ledger-enquirer.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Nationwide News